Letters to the editor for Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015

Dangerous TPP bill needs to be voted down

Most people are for free trade between countries, so the Trans-Pacific Agreement (TPP) should be a great idea. It has only been released recently for the public to read, all several thousand pages of it. It could be signed by President Obama as soon as Jan. 1.

The problem is in the implementation of this agreement. It was put together by large international companies and it’s written in such a way that if a corporation feels that any regulation or law of the host country affects the profitability of the corporation, it can sue that government to get rid of that law. The courts which they use are independent international tribunals staffed by friendly corporate lawyers and only international investors, i.e. large corporations, can use it.

The host country, or any group in that country can’t sue the corporation. They have also made laws for those corporations which benefit them and which will effect all of us. They have made the laws for the big pharmaceuticals, big agriculture, big oil, gas and coal, as well as all of the rest of those corporations which co-wrote the agreement. Once the TPP passes, there will be no recourse to change these laws. This agreement will undermine the sovereignty of our nation.

When it’s voted on, the vote will be yea or nay for the entire bill, with little debate and no changes allowed.

Please call or write to your representatives and senators to vote no on this dangerous bill.

Rita Valent

Dayton

Register Trump’s followers, not Muslims

Donald Trump, the front runner among GOP candidates vying for the Republican nomination for president (really!), has called for a “registry” of all Muslims living in the U.S. Our country would be better served with a “registry” of all those attending one of Trump’s diatribes; I believe these people pose a far greater threat to the future of our country than the millions of loyal Muslim Americans or the Syrian refuges fleeing from the brutality and repression of the Bashar al-Alsaad regime.

“Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me: I lift my lamp beside the golden door.” — Emma Lazaras

John O’Neill

Minden

Funding needed for Alzheimer’s research

November is designated as Caregiver’s Month. Gov. Sandoval and almost every Nevada county have issued proclamations commending caregivers and the demanding job they do caring for loved ones in our communities.

For 39,000 Nevada families, like mine, who had or have a loved one living with Alzheimer’s, the disease is devastating emotionally and, for many, financially. We are thankful that Representative Amodei has signed on as a cosponsor of the HOPE for Alzheimer’s Act (HR 1559). This bipartisan legislation will ensure Medicare beneficiaries newly-diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and their families receive comprehensive care planning services.

Family caregivers often experience a financial burden — but they don’t bear this burden alone. The cost of Alzheimer’s disease affects all Nevadans — this year Medicaid costs for Nevada seniors living with Alzheimer’s are estimated to exceed $158 million, and is projected to grow to $303 million annually in the next 10 years. We have to end Alzheimer’s now before it bankrupts us all.

We urge Representative Amodei, Senator Heller, Senator Reid and all members of Congress to increase funding for Alzheimer’s research by at least $300 million when they return to work next week. Let’s give all Nevada families something to be thankful for this holiday season.

Mary Liveratti

Carson City

Hillary unwilling to work with Republicans

Interesting comment by Hillary at a recent press conference in Reno. This appeared in the Nevada Appeal on Nov. 24 — she claims the following as a “strong” reason to elect her.

She said, “It is important to have a president who will not go along with the Republicans in Congress.”

If you are a Hillary fan, you are cheering. If not a fan, the rest, myself included, are shaking their heads at the comment. So she says she plans not to cooperate with the Congress — as long as there are Republicans in the House. Is this really the kind of president/leader we want? A leader that will not cooperate with those that oppose them instead of trying to work issues out and compromise? There is something very, very wrong headed about that type of thinking. We need a president that is willing to work with all points of view, even if they do not agree with the view and strive to reach reasonable and workable solutions to any and all problems.

Further, at the debate she said she wanted to allow 65,000 refugees to come. My question — Hillary, tell me exactly how you pan to vet 65,000 refuges for a country/countries that do not have documentation to verify?

Carlynann V. Johnson

Dayton

Look at all sides of prescription drug pricing

The results of a poll on prescription drug pricing were released by an organization that continually presents only one side of an extremely complicated issue. It is popular to target pharmaceutical companies as the villain, especially in light of the recent bad actions of the CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals. That is a very narrow view of this issue.

The fact is that government price controls and intervention will only hinder doctors’ efforts to save or improve the lives of their patients. Patients need access to the drugs they need without having to pay more out of their own pocket, especially when they already pay high premiums and co-pays for coverage.

The cost of prescription drugs is high due in large part to the cost of drug development, long approval processes from the federal government, and the even longer odds of a drug making it to market. If we choose to ignore the obstacles that are part of the research and testing process, the public is only getting one small piece of the picture.

With today’s technological advancements, we are all accustomed to life at a much faster pace. Unfortunately, pharmaceutical innovation doesn’t happen overnight. It would be irresponsible to stifle that innovation and prevent tomorrow’s cures from becoming a reality.

Sincerely,

Joe P. Hardy

Nevada State Senator

Pass Medicare Prescription Drug Price bills

I urge your publication to publish an editorial urging Congress to pass important Medicare Part D and prescription drug bills.

Passage of the Medicare Prescription Drug Savings and Choice Act (H.R. 3261 and S. 1884) would create one or more Medicare-administered prescription drug plans to compete with the expensive, privately administered prescription drug plans currently offered under Medicare Part D. The bill would also require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate for lower drug prices. Passage of the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act (S. 31 and H.R. 3061) would empower Medicare to negotiate for the best possible prices of prescription medications for Medicare Part D. Passage of the Personal Drug Importation Fairness Act of 2015 (H.R. 2623) would give access to safe, reasonably priced prescription drugs by allowing importation and reimportation of prescription drugs from countries with safety standards that are at least as strong as those of the United States.

Passage of the Safe and Affordable Drugs from Canada Act (S. 122 and H.R. 2228) would allow individuals to import safe prescription drugs from our northern neighbors.

Harry Mills

Genoa